Last night on abc radio as Clarkey was constructing his fairy tale the commentators kept saying things like – “he has found his place”; “he belongs here”; “this is where he should be, this is where he is meant to be”. There was something about Clarkey’s coming to belong that was incredibly moving. It was so immediate and so magnified. Finding a position from which to flourish is a wonderful task for anyone I guess, in whatever way. It just wouldn’t usually be such a noticeable process, perhaps. I’m thinking of the Miyazaki film My Neighbor Totoro. The kids plant some magic acorns that Totoro has given them and nothing happens until one night Totoro leads the kids out to the garden bed, conducts some sort of magical dance, and a massive tree sprouts out of the earth. In the morning there’s no tree, but the acorns have sprouted. The kids say something like “It was a dream but it wasn’t a dream.” I bet thats how Clarkey feels now. He just frikkin flowered. A small boy’s dreams have been utterly realised, planted firmly in reality. It’s moving stuff. Moving and settling at the same time.